Hudgens, Smith to be honored at commencement with McGavran, Larsh awards
May 8, 2015
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health will present two of its most prestigious faculty awards during the School’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 9. Michael Hudgens, PhD, associate professor of biostatistics, will receive the McGavran Award for Excellence in Teaching, and Jennifer Smith, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology, will accept the John E. Larsh Jr. Award for Mentorship.
Drs. Jennifer Smith (left) and Michael Hudgens are winners of the 2015 Larsh and McGavran awards for mentoring and teaching.
The McGavran Award
The McGavran Award for Excellence in Teaching honors Edward G. McGavran, MD, MPH, dean of the UNC School of Public Health from 1947 to 1963 and proponent of “hands-on” field training for public health students. First given in 1975, the award recognizes career-long excellence in teaching by a faculty member at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
Hudgens, who received a doctorate from Emory University in 2000, joined the Gillings School’s faculty in 2004.
“Dr. Hudgens has contributed greatly to the quantitative development of students, not only in his department but across the School, as well,” said Anna-Maria Siega-Riz, PhD, associate dean for academic affairs. “We value his dedication and commitment to teaching and mentoring students.”
Hudgens’ student nominators agreed.
“Michael is an excellent teacher, including for non-statisticians,” one wrote.
“I learned a great deal from him – not only about biostatistics and HIV research, but also about how to be a contributing professional in our field and a valuable colleague to others, including statisticians, bench scientists and clinical researchers,” said another.
One nominator said there were four things he would remember about Hudgens – “his desire for excellence, his work ethic, his boot-strap approach to solving nearly any problem and his devotion to teaching.”
The Larsh Award
Established in 1997, the highly competitive John E. Larsh Award for Mentorship honors Dr. Larsh, a faculty member in the School’s Department of Health Behavior and Health Education from 1942 to 1981. The award is presented to a current member of the School’s faculty who best exemplifies the mentorship and commitment to students for which Larsh was well known.
Larsh awardee Jennifer Smith earned a master’s degree in population dynamics (1995) and doctoral degree in epidemiology (2000) from Johns Hopkins University. She joined the Gillings School faculty in 2004.
As an expert in research on human papillomavirus (HPV) and its relationship to cervical and other cancers, Smith is an advocate for HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening while serving as a mentor and role model to young women scientists at the Gillings School.
“She always dedicates time and resources to us, putting the needs of her students first,” one wrote. “As her students, we feel confident that we are gaining critical skills for success in our careers and that we can turn to Jennifer for advice in any capacity. We are so grateful for the opportunity to work with someone whom we admire a great deal, who is respected in her field and paves the way for her students to achieve the same.”
“We are proud of Dr. Smith’s mentorship,” said Siega-Riz. “She embodies compassion, excellence and dedication to our students, during their time at Carolina and beyond.”
More than 350 undergraduate and graduate students and more than 35 members of the faculty and staff are expected to participate in the School’s commencement event, to be held Saturday, May 9 at 1 p.m. in Carmichael Arena on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. The commencement keynote will be presented by John B. Herrington, PhD, former astronaut, retired commander in the U.S. Navy, education advocate and brother of Gillings Global Gateway™ director Jim Herrington, PhD.
Watch for commencement photos next week on Flickr.
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Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu.
